Pneumatic feed mechanism



y 1931. v s. HALVORSEN 1,804,612

PNEUMATIC FEED ME CHANISM OriginaI Filed Feb 25, 1.925 5 Sheets-Shem, l

\ fawn/aw 7-50 May 12, 1931. H s, HALVQRSEN 1,804,612

PNEUMATIC FEED MECHANISM Original Filed Feb. 25. 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet. 2

. Y 1931. s. HALVORSEN 1,804,612

PNEUMATIC FEED 'MECHANI SM Original Filed Feb. 25, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 M y 1931- s. HALVORSEN 1,804,612

PNEUMATIC FEED MECHANISM Original Filed Feb. 25, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 May 12, 1931. s, HALVQRSEN 1,804,612

PNEUMATIC FEED MECHANISM 0rigina1 Filed Feb.- 25 ,4 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented May 12, 1931 UNITED STA as PATENT ,FFICE SEVER IN HALV'ORSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLENOIS ASSIGNOR TO THE NEWSPAPER STUFF- ING MACHINE COMPANY, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, A GOREORATIOIIOF' WASH- INGTON Refiled for abandoned application Serial No. 11,438, filed February 25, 1925.

' 21, 1929. Serial No. 34%,344.

My invention relates to pneumatic feed mechanisms for feeding papers or paper sections or like articles from one of a stack or pile.

The objects of the invention are to provide an improved construction of pneumatic feed mechanism of the class specified; to secure rapidity and efficiency in operation; to obtain simplicity of structure with correspondingly low cost of manufacture; to arrange for the accurate and unfailingrelease of the endmost paper or article to be fed, and for the holding of the same effectively 1n position before being fed; and to secure the foregoing and other desirable resultsm a simple and expeditious manner.

In the accompanying drawings, Flgil 1s a plan view of a pneumatic feed mechanism embodying my present inventlon Figsj2, 3 and 4 are cross sections taken on lines 22, 3-3 and 44 in Fig. 1;

Figs. '5 and 6 are views of the feeding mechanism proper in different positions; and

Figs. 7, 8,-9 and 10 are views of details of construction. 7 7

Referring to the drawings, I show a suction feed mechanism having uprights '1 and 2 for supporting a stack or pile of articles to be fed as, for example, folded sections of'newspapers A. These articles or newspaper sections are arranged in a substantially flatwise condition and their unfolded ends are arranged upon a supporting member 3 between uprights 22, and their remaining body portions extend toward upright 1. Below the pile of paper sections A are a series of rotary feed .01 sucker devices "4, each adapted to come in contact with and engage the bottom papersection a and withdrawit from the paper sectionsabove it. To suchend, suckers 4 aremounted on rotary shaft 5, which is provided with gear 6 meshing with rack 7, and said shaft 5 is mounted on asliding carriage 8 by which the shaft 5;1na'y be-reciprocated in a substantially horizontal manner so as I to cause said shaft to be turned by rack and pinion 6 and '7, and thereby cause suckers'l; to swing downwardlyandcpull thebottom' paper section down, as shown indotted lines in Fig. "5. Suckers 4 swing clear down, drawrirnuura'rrc Mechanism This application filed March ing bottom paper section a with them, and the latter is engaged by a rotary segment 9 having a striking face 10 which engages the depressed bottom paper section a-and swings the same further downwardly, as shown in Fig. 6, so that it is gripped between the circular portion 11 of said segment and a gripping or feeding roll 12. The rotation of segment 9 and roll 12 causes the withdrawal of the bottom section a from the stack or pileA and said paper section is fed or moved downwardly over a guide 13 and between other feed'or discharge rolls 14 and 15.

The rotary shaft :5 is hollow and its interior communicates with the interior of the suckers 4 so that vacuum or suction may be communicated from the shaft 5 to the suckers 4 to cause the latter to engage and adhere to the bottom paper a .and withdraw the same inwardly downward. A connection is made between the end of hollow rotary shaft 5 and a sliding pipe 17 which is arranged to slide back and forth in a tubular member or pipe 18 to accommodate the reciprocating movement of carriage 8- carrying pipe 5. Tubular member or pipe 18 runs to a valve arrangement 20, which is in turn connected to a pipe 21 running toa vacuum pump or other air pressure reducingapparatus'. Valve arrangement 20 has a rotary member whose rotary reciprocation or oscillation controls the connection between pipes 18, and -21 so as to cause suction in pipe 5 and suckers 4 4 at the proper time. This valve member 22 is actuated by a reciprocaitory member or rod 23pivotally connected to 22 at 24, and also pivotally connect-ed at 25 with a swinging arm 26 pivoted to the frame of the machine at 27. Said swinging arm 26 is controlled by a cam 28 on a rotary shaft 29, the latter acting against a wheel or roller 30 on arm 26. l

- This mechanism for controlliii'ig the suction pressure in the suckers 44 is shown, described and "claimed in my co-pending application for United States Letters 'Fatent, Serial No. 757,341, filed December-22, 1924, pneumatic feed mechanisms (Case No. 13'), and so not he "further described herein, it being sufiicie'nt to say that the control is such that suction is created in the suckers 4-4 when they are in position to engage the lowermost newspaper section a, and is continued therein during the period of time necessary to pull said lowermost paper section a downwardly a certain extent, but is released when said lowermost paper section is suliiciently depressed to permit it to be engaged by the rotary segment 9 so that it may be further depressed and bent down wardly by said rotary segment 9 to cause engagement between the same and co-operating gripping and feeding roll 12.

Slidable carriage 8 is reciprocated by a rocking member 33 mounted on rock shaft 34:, said member 33 engaging a pivoted block 35 on said carriage 8. Member 33 is rocked by rack'36 meshing with pinion 37 on shaft 84, rack 36 being reciprocated by cam 38 on shaft 39, said cam 38 co-operating with roller it) on member ell carrying rack 36. Inasmuch as this carriage reciprocating mechanism has been disclosed and claimed in my aforesaid application, Serial No. 7 57,3 11 (Case No. 13), it willnot be further described herein, except to say that it causes the reciprocation of the rotary shaft 5 carrying suckers 4.-4 at such times as to draw the lowermost paper down and then return.

Segment 9 is driven by gear 42 which is in turn driven by pinion $3 on drive. shaft 44. Delivery or discharge rolls 14 and 15 are driven by pinions 4:5 and 4:6 carried by said rolls and driven by pinion 4L7 meshing with pinion 453 on shaft 441. This arrangement is to some extent described and claimed in my aforesaid application, Serial No. 757 ,3-il1.

The folded edges of the pile or stack A are held in position and released .at proper times to permit them to be fed by mechanisms of particular advantage and especially embody ing my present invention.

These mechanisms comprise swinging lingers mounted on a rock shaft 51 and arranged to swing back and forth underneath and out from underneath thefold-ed edges of the paper sections, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. This swinging action is effected by a reciprocatingmember 52 having a forked end straddling rotary shaft 29' and carrying a roller 54 co-operating with a cam 55 on said shaft 29 so that the rotation of the shaft 29 causes the more or less vertical reciprocation of member 52, the upper end of which is connected by bell crank 57 with shaft 51 so that the latter is rocked to swing fingers 50 into and out of position below the folded edges of paper sections A.

There are also provided supplemental paper section engaging devices comprising pins 59 mounted on reciprocatory or sliding carriages 60 actuated by reciprocating rods 61 so that pins 59 will be pushed forwardly to pass between or, engage lower paper sec- .tions a, as shown in Fig. 5, or to be away from sections, as shown in Fig. 6. Rods 61 are actuated by swinging arms 62 and having sliding connections therewith by pins 63 and slots 64, said arms 62 being carried by rock shaft 63 which is in turn actuated by swinging arm 64 connected by link 65 with bell crank 57, so that the rocking of shaft 51 to swing fingers 50 back and forth, as previously described, will also operate to rock shaft 63 and thereby reciprocate pins or straddle devices 59. This arrangement is such that when the fingers 50 are underneath the pile, as shown in Fig. v6, the pins 59 will be withdrawn therefrom and also so that when fingers 50 are withdrawn to permit the preliminary depressionor withdrawal of the bottommost paper a, pins 59 will be in holding position, as shown in Fig. 5, to support substantially the entire pile of paper sections and prevent their dropping by reason of the \.'i.thdrawal of fingers 50. Blocks 60 carrying pins 59 are preferably provided with a series of apertures 66 (Figs. 7 and into which pins 59 may be inserted so as to allow said pins to be placed at different vertical positions, according to different requirements or different kinds of work. Screws 60 are used to secure pins 59 in whichever aperture the same may be placed.

There are also provided supplemental supporting devices preferably in the form of swinging clips 68 preferably pivoted between their ends as at 69 (Figs. 9 and 10), the end portions of these clips 68 being underneath the bottom paper section a, as shown in Fig. 5. The other or rear end portion of the clips are adapted to engage pins 70 and are subject to springs 71 holding them normal down against pins 70, so that the front or projecting ends of these spring clips tend to hold the bottom paper sections up, but the springs 71 are adapted to permit the lowermost paper section a to be pulled down by suckers 4 against the resistance of springs 71, thereby swinging front or projecting ends or clips 68 downwardly and permitting the lowermost paper section a to pass or slip by the ends of the same, said clips, however, engaging and holding up the few paper sections above the lowermost one and between the same and the supporting pins 59. Clips 68 and springs 71 are conveniently mounted on brackets 72 secured to and supported by the frame piece 7 3. This paper or article holding and releasing arrangement is extremely efliective and insures the proper feeding of the articles, one by one, as desired.

The stack or pack supporting and releasing mechanisms disclosed herein are related to and, in part, disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application, "Serial No. 757 ,340, filed December 22, 1924, pneumatic feeding mechanism (Case No. 143. V

It will be understoo that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. Feeding mechanism comprising reciprocatory pin members for engaging the pack to hold all of the same in position except one or more endmost member, means for reciprocating said. pin devices and supplemental engaging members for holding the few endmost articles and permitting the same to be withdrawn, and means for reciprocating said pin engaging devices, said means comprising a rod having a head carrying said devices, a swinging arm actuating said rod, a rock shaft carrying said arm, a second arm on said rock shaft, a link connected with said second arm, a bell crank connected with said link, and Ya reciprocatory cam actuated device for operating said bell crank.

2. Feeding mechanism comprising reciprocatory pin members for engaging the pack to hold all of the same in position except one or more endmost member, means for reciproeating said pin devices, supplemental engaging members for holding the few endmost articles and permitting the same to be withdrawn, and other pack holding means for engaging the endmost member of the pack and holding the pack in position.

3. Feeding'mechanism comprising swinging fingers for supporting the pack and re leasing the end member thereof, means for swinging said fingers, reciprocatory bloc-ks provided with pins adapted to engage the pack near the endmost member and hold all of the pack except the endmost portion thereof in position, means for reciprocating said pins so as to engage the pack when the aforesaid fingers are in position to release the end member thereof, and spring clips for holding the end member of the pack against falling by its own weight, said clips being adapted to permit feeding withdrawal of the end member. I

4. In a feeding mechanism supporting de-.

vices comprising pivoted clips, one end of each of which is adapted to engage an article in the stack or pile, pins for engaging the other ends of said clips and springs for engaging the last mentioned ends of the clips and holding the same against said pins.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 18th day of March, A. D., 1929.

SEVERIN HALVORSEN. 

